Thorp Families,
We are so excited to see you all on Monday. Starting at 7:15, students can take pictures with Thorpie, our mascot, on the playground side. Parents will be able to enter the gates and take photos (and make memories!). Kindergarten families, please report at 8:30 (don’t worry, Thorpie will still be there!). Don’t forget to hang around and have donuts and coffee outside by the Warwick Avenue picnic benches and meet families and members of Friends of Thorp.
We have named our weekly newsletter the Thorpie Express. If your student would like to design its logo, please send their idea to [email protected]. We will use their logo, as well as have a framed picture of them and their design outside the office.
Thank you for joining us for Orientation. If you weren’t able to make it, please bring your child’s supplies on the first day if you can. Please see the slides from the orientation presentations in the document linked here. We also added common questions that came up during orientations, as well as our responses. However, we put the most common one below. If you did not have a question addressed, please email [email protected].
Most Common Parent Question: What are the procedures for morning supervision and recess?
Starting at 7:00, there will be staff outside to supervise children who are dropped off early. Grades K-4 will be on the East playground. Grades 5-8 will be on the West Field. We will have extra staff on hand the first few weeks and will begin assigning older students to assist as the week progresses. As more students arrive, more staff have been assigned to assist both sides. Students should be inside the gates at 7:30. Morning recess is from 7:30-7:40. There will be one staff member assigned to line up your students and bring them to their homeroom. Their name should have been provided to you at orientation. Teachers will be in charge of taking attendance once students arrive to the homeroom. Please help by reminding your child of their homeroom number. Do not worry; we will be supporting students in learning these new routines. During inclement weather, students will be brought inside and supervised there.
All students are able to eat breakfast. From 7:00-7:30, students can eat their breakfast in the lunchroom and then proceed outside. Students not eating breakfast will be asked to remain outside. After 7:30, students will grab a breakfast from the lunchroom and eat it when they arrive in class. We encourage all families to arrive early if they wish to eat breakfast, but understand there may be emergencies.
Please drop your child off at the gates (except for the first day if you want a picture with Thorpie). As we said, there will be staff and student helpers to assist your child. If you have a scheduled parent meeting, please alert a staff member at security on the East side desk. If you need to make an appointment with a staff member, please email the teacher directly, or for administration, email [email protected]. For urgent matters, text 312.600.7112.
We have also added staff members to assist with traffic on Grace and Meade. Please find the logistics presentation here to assist you. Do not pull over on Grace, please drop off and go. If you wish to walk your child, you must park away from the school and walk over. Warwick Avenue is closed except for buses and students in the cluster rooms. Do not park in the crosswalks. Also, please demonstrate grace and patience towards all students, parents, and staff. We want to model appropriate behavior for our children.
Spirit Store:
We encourage everyone to wear ThorpWear. Please visit our online store. We will unveil our “One School, Many Voices” theme logo next week, and provide a chance to purchase it in the store later.
Thorp App
Please find O.A. Thorp in your smartphone App Store. You will get daily calendar alerts and special announcements.
After Care
If you have already signed up for Thorp After Care, you are good to go! We will send out confirmation emails tomorrow. If you still want to sign up for our After Care program, learn more information and register here.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday. Email [email protected] with questions. Please demonstrate some grace in response time this past week as we are getting underway.
Thank you so much for all of your support and we are going to have a great year!
Administrator in Charge Norma Cortez and Thorp Administration